> -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Terry Collins > Sent: Tue, 12. April 2005 12:21 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [SLUG] Exhibitors at Education Expo > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > On Tue, Apr 12, 2005 at 09:53:56AM +1000, Terry Collins wrote: > > > > > >>4) The MS Tax is charged on EVERY computer in the school, > hence there > >>is > >>no money saving incentive to replace MS with FOSS/Linux. > > > > > > I thought that was illegal... > > ...how do they attempt to enforce this? > > It was either a flat or stepped fee based on the number of computers > they knew that your school had. NSW Public schools basically get all > their hardware through the department. > > So there was no incentive for say "by replacing MS with FOSS on X > computers I can save $Y".
I thought he was being cynical in the fact that it is difficult to buy a PC without Windows - you need to specify that and negotiate the price (usually cheaper). However this may be a reference to the 'Schools Agreement' which I belive DET have signed up to for all their schools - this gives schools access to nearly all MS software at NO extra cost - some server based stuff still has some cost. You pay a licence for every PC in the school regardless of OS or whether it is capable of running the latest MS software (which is all the licence covers - you can downgrade by only one version) BTW you are helping to pay for this through State taxes. While this is good for the DET schools it is a very significant cost in the Independent Sector. -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
